An Elegant Solution
by Rocky T
Summary: After Voyager's return, the Admiralty has to decide Janeway's future.


_Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all of its characters are the property of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Author's note: Many thanks to m.c. moose and Seema for their encouragement and assistance.  
_  
**AN ELEGANT SOLUTION  
By Rocky  
**   
Alynna Nechayev loathed being late--especially when meeting with Admiral Hayes, the Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet.   
  
But her tardiness could hardly be helped, not when her office was located so far away from the 'corridor of power', where the most influential voices in Starfleet Command resided. Not just Hayes, but people like William Ross, Edward Jellico and Owen Paris as well. Once--once, when she was a rising star in Starfleet, newly promoted to rear admiral, the architect of a Federation-Cardassian treaty guaranteed to usher in a new era of peace in the Alpha Quadrant--then she'd taken her rightful place among them. But after the Breen attack leveled much of Starfleet Headquarters during the Dominion War, relocations and a shuffling of office spaces were required. Nechayev couldn't help but notice that despite signs the massive rebuilding effort was drawing to a close--even the majority of the physical scars from the attack had been erased--her office was still located in a minor administrative building, a good twenty minutes' walk from the Commander-in-Chief's suite. She quickened her pace.  
  
She could have requested a site-to-site transport, of course, but such a gesture might have been seen as excessive, perhaps even taking advantage of her position. After many years in Starfleet--and well-versed in its arcane politics--Nechayev was well aware that how one was perceived by one's peers was important. Besides, the walk was good for her, allowing her to work off some of the irritation from her recently concluded interview with Captain Janeway. It wouldn't do to go in to see Hayes with a visible chip on her shoulder. Especially not if she wanted to persuade him to agree to her proposal regarding the captain.  
  
The young aide working in Hayes' outer office looked up at her breathless arrival. "Admiral Nechayev, please go right in. The Commander-in-Chief is expecting you."  
  
Nechayev nodded brusquely and swept past the lieutenant. At least she was spared the indignity of cooling her heels before Hayes found time to see her. She wondered, however, if that would have been the case if she'd been punctual.  
  
Hayes was standing in front of his replicator, his back to her. "Coffee, black." He turned, took a sip and nodded in Nechayev's direction. "There you are, Alynna. Sit down. Would you like something to drink?"  
  
"No, thank you." Nechayev sat primly in the proffered seat and waited until Hayes had settled himself behind his desk.   
  
"How did the meeting with Janeway go?" he asked. "Any surprises?"  
  
"None." Nechayev pursed her lips in disapproval. "I told you earlier I thought that meeting would be a complete waste of time." Not to mention a breach of decorum, though it wasn't unheard of to ask veteran officers if they had a preference regarding their next assignment. But Nechayev had the distinct impression that any wishes Janeway might express would be treated with far more consideration than her rank and seniority merited.  
  
"Yes, I believe you've expressed that sentiment on more than one occasion over the past few weeks," Hayes said, with just a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "But you also said you weren't simply going to sound the captain out regarding future assignments. There were areas related to _Voyager's_ mission that you claimed warranted further discussion." He smiled sourly. "Now _that_ is what I'd consider a waste of time--the Review Board already went over Janeway's logs, as well as all the other records from that ship, with a fine tooth comb."  
  
"If you can call it that," Nechayev sniffed. "More like a rubber stamp approval of her command decisions."  
  
"Did you honestly expect the Board to come back with a recommendation for court martial?" Hayes asked, his expression a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Janeway did the impossible in the Delta Quadrant--she kept her ship intact and her crew alive. Most of them at any rate. And she brought them home."  
  
Nechayev sought to keep her voice level. "The members of the board were blinded by Janeway's reputation."  
  
"Coming back from the dead has a way of doing that," Hayes said dryly. "Once _Voyager_ was officially declared lost, once we held the memorial service, that was it. The subject of _Voyager_ was a closed book. It was a major shock to hear from them again, when years later they sent their emergency medical hologram through the alien communications array. And at that point, they were still 60,000 light years away. No one expected them to return home any time soon. It was expected to take decades."   
  
"If at all," Nechayev acknowledged. Certainly she had never expected to see Janeway or her crew again.  
  
"That's right--there were no guarantees. The odds were certainly against them, one lone ship lost in a sea of hostile aliens." Hayes was quiet for a moment, perhaps thinking of _Voyager's_ travails.   
  
Nechayev took a deep breath. She knew she was treading on shaky ground. "I'm not dismissing Janeway's accomplishments, or disputing them in any way. I just think we're allowing ourselves to ignore a very important issue."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Some of Janeway's more questionable decisions in the Delta Quadrant," Nechayev said, leaning forward intently. "Forming an alliance with the Borg, getting involved in local cultures' disputes, trading sensitive technology--even her initial act in the Delta Quadrant, destroying the Caretaker's array, could be interpreted as a violation of the Prime Directive."  
  
Nechayev had purposely not included accepting the Maquis as members of _Voyager's_ crew in her recital of Janeway's misdeeds. Since the end of the Dominion War, the political climate had changed greatly. Perhaps if _Voyager_ had returned a few years earlier, there would have been the possibility of putting the former Maquis on trial for their crimes. After all, _Voyager's_ original mission had been to arrest them. But there was no question of that now. Even the most outspokenly anti-Maquis voices in the Admiralty agreed that this particular group of Maquis had been exonerated by their valiant service aboard _Voyager._   
  
Hayes put his empty coffee cup down. It rang hollowly as it made contact with the desk surface. "You and I may not agree with some of the things Janeway did out there, but it's unfair to second-guess those decisions after the fact," he said flatly. "In the eyes of the general public--and most of the Admiralty, I might add--Janeway is a hero." Under his breath he muttered, "And God knows we need our heroes in this day and age."  
  
Nechayev caught his last remark. "And because she's a hero the rules no longer apply?"  
  
Hayes stared at her. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about operating outside the chain of command," Nechayev snapped. "For seven years Janeway answered to no authority other than her own." She held out a PADD expectantly.  
  
Hayes didn't take it. "Circumstances didn't exactly permit otherwise."  
  
"Agreed. But once a captain gets used to operating that way--"  
  
"I know you've expressed concern over whether she will be able to fit into the command hierarchy once more," Hayes cut in. "You made your opinions known even before _Voyager_ returned."  
  
"And it appears that my fears were justified," Nechayev said. She put the PADD down on the desk top, near his hand.  
  
Hayes rose from his seat and headed back to the replicator. "Tell me about today's meeting. What exactly happened? Did you take advantage of the opportunity to rake Janeway over the coals?" he added sarcastically.  
  
With an effort, Nechayev kept her voice low. "Despite what you think of me, my behavior was thoroughly professional. I did not 'rake her over the coals', as you put it." She paused, remembering how difficult it had been to sit there and listen to Janeway's smug recitation of her successes. "I merely asked her to elaborate on some of her more 'innovative' adaptations of standard Starfleet protocols for use in the Delta Quadrant."  
  
"The press has been referring to them as 'elegant solutions to seemingly intractable problems'," Hayes pointed out. At Nechayev's baleful look, he said, "I just thought I'd mention that in the interests of accuracy, of course."  
  
"Of course." Nechayev was well aware that Hayes was enjoying himself at her expense.  
  
"So was Janeway able to explain herself to your satisfaction?" Hayes finally picked up the PADD, glanced at it briefly, and tossed it aside. "What's your conclusion?"  
  
"Kathryn Janeway is a maverick who frequently takes unacceptable risks," Nechayev said emphatically. "Those 'elegant solutions' of hers fly in the face of common sense. There was no reason for her to believe that any of them would have worked."  
  
"Some of our best field captains have been mavericks--and have the ability to see beyond the obvious," Hayes said quietly. "They're also not afraid to make the hard decisions, even at great personal cost. It's those qualities which enabled Janeway to bring her people home in the first place."  
  
"I'm not denying that."  
  
"But you still don't trust her," Hayes said with a frown.  
  
"Not enough to give her another ship and free rein in the Alpha Quadrant, no," Nechayev said tightly.  
  
"'Free rein'?" Hayes objected. "I admit that some of Janeway's Delta Quadrant decisions were a bit unorthodox, but you can't assume she would react in the same way here if presented with a comparable situation. She wouldn't be on her own, for one thing; there'd be no question of an inability to communicate with Starfleet Command--"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Do you think she'd disobey direct orders?" Hayes was incredulous.  
  
Nechayev didn't answer him directly. "Tell me something, Admiral--have we never had a situation where a captain has decided he or she has a better grasp of a particular situation than Starfleet Command? And has taken that for a basis for 'creatively' interpreting orders?" Her tone was deceptively sweet; it sounded as though she were humbly asking for information.  
  
The shot hit home; Hayes stiffened. "I don't deny that. From James T. Kirk to Jean-Luc Picard, there have been instances where captains have deliberately disobeyed orders. And like Kirk and Picard, undergone court-martial proceedings afterwards. But what I also don't deny is that more than once they were proven to be correct after the fact." Hayes met her gaze challengingly. "Field commanders have to be given a certain amount of leeway in order to do their jobs properly. The last thing we want is an unimaginative martinet in the central chair."  
  
It was Nechayev's turn to stiffen; her own brief career as a starship captain had been undistinguished. She'd been the first to admit that her talents lay in other areas, and hadn't protested her transfer to San Francisco when her initial space mission had concluded. "Allowing too much 'leeway', as you call it, sets a bad precedent. Especially as Janeway has already shown a tendency toward reckless behavior."  
  
Hayes rolled his eyes. "Seven years ago, when you sent her to capture Chakotay's cell, she was one of the most 'by the book' officers you had."  
  
"That was a long time ago," Nechayev said. "Janeway is not the same captain she was then." She paused. "To be fair, it was probably unavoidable, considering some of the harsher experiences she and her crew went through." Unbidden, Nechayev's thoughts went back to the earlier meeting, to Janeway's almost unnatural calm as she described the various confrontations with the Borg, the Hirogen, of countless other enemies. For the hundredth time, Nechayev wondered--with more than a bit of jealousy--how Janeway had managed to survive even one of those encounters.  
  
Hayes obviously decided the argument was fruitless and getting off topic. "So you met with her today and asked her to explain the reasoning behind some of her actions." His eyes went to the PADD, and the meticulous list Nechayev had compiled. "I'm surprised she didn't question why it was necessary to go through it all again."  
  
"I didn't repeat the Review Board's inquiries, cover old ground." Nechayev added grudgingly, "Janeway is nobody's fool. She realizes that Starfleet needs to determine her next assignment. It was only natural to expect some of the issues of her former command to come up once more."  
  
"So knowing what you were after, she still didn't tailor her responses?" At Nechayev's quick nod, he said, almost to himself, "Janeway's got guts, that's for sure--though probably after facing down the Borg Queen, nothing Starfleet can throw at her will faze her."  
  
"Janeway kept up a pretty good front, just like she did during the Board of Review," Nechayev conceded. "She said she didn't believe in second-guessing herself, that she'd made the decisions to the best of her ability on the information she had available at the time. She also talked a great deal about the contributions of her crew, and especially her senior officers."  
  
"Did she say anything about her plans for the future, what she wants to do?" Hayes asked, curious.  
  
"She expressed a preference for remaining in Starfleet," Nechayev said.   
  
Hayes smiled. "I know you'd half-convinced yourself that she would resign and spare us the headache of trying to figure out what to do with her, but I had no doubts she would stay. Janeway comes from an old Starfleet family, she's a career officer." He lifted a hand to forestall any protests. "I know, she went through a lot, these past years. But after sufficient rest, she'll be anxious to get right back in the saddle again."  
  
Nechayev didn't miss Hayes' use of the word 'headache.' It could only mean that for all his defense of Janeway, the Commander-in-Chief was also concerned about her. "Janeway could have decided to retire from active service. There are any number of things she could do instead."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
Nechayev shrugged. "Her name alone would be worth a lot to any number of corporations or research institutions."  
  
"Perhaps. I still say, once a starship captain, always a starship captain."   
  
Startled, Nechayev said, "So you're recommending we give her another ship?"   
  
"It's what she has demonstrated an undeniable talent for." Hayes refused to meet Nechayev's eyes.   
  
"I don't feel comfortable with that possibility," Nechayev said firmly. She bit back the comment that he clearly didn't either. "And there are no guarantees she'd be able to adapt to the chain of command once more."   
  
Hayes didn't dispute that point. "Any ship assignment wouldn't have to be in the Alpha Quadrant," he said slowly. "There are deep space missions to consider. Now that the Dominion is no longer an issue, long range plans have been drawn up to explore the vast reaches of the Gamma Quadrant."  
  
Nechayev made a noncommittal sound. It was not part of her plan to have Janeway in command of a ship once more, even in deep space.  
  
Hayes exhaled deeply. "I presume you have another suggestion?" he said, his voice tinged with impatience. "One that would properly utilize Janeway's talents?"  
  
She knew what he was getting at. Starfleet was still recovering from the devastation of the Dominion War. Ships could be rebuilt quickly, but qualified personnel were harder to replace. "There are proposals currently on the drawing board about following up on some of the contacts _Voyager_ made in the Delta Quadrant," Nechayev said. "Establish formal diplomatic ties." She mentally held her breath.  
  
"Actually, diplomacy and interstellar relations would be a very good place for her," Hayes said thoughtfully. "Janeway has more 'first contacts' to her credit than almost any currently active officer. The Diplomatic corps would be lucky to have her, if not full-time then at least in an advisory capacity."  
  
"So you approve?" Nechayev was careful to not press too hard.   
  
"It's a good suggestion," Hayes said. He leaned back in his seat. "Now, do you think Janeway would agree?"  
  
"She might, if it was put to her in the right manner. And with a corresponding promotion, of course," Nechayev said. "A post like this would warrant the rank of Admiral. Not to mention that it would be a fitting recognition of all of Janeway's achievements to date."  
  
Hayes looked at her sharply. "I see what you're getting at," he said, his voice hard. "I should have guessed. You don't care about rewarding her, or of best utilizing her skills. You just want to tether her firmly to a desk so she won't be able to upset your notions of what is or isn't proper. And you're hoping that if you sweeten the offer, she won't notice she's trading away her soul for a gilded cage."  
  
Nechayev didn't flinch. "Let's be honest--you know it's an ideal solution. I _know_ you're just as nervous about her as I am, despite that pack of fools out there--" she jerked her head angrily in the direction of the corridor "--who would be willing to give Janeway anything she wants, make her queen by acclamation. You know it's too big a risk to let her have another command."  
  
"You're letting your personal dislike of Captain Janeway color your perception," Hayes said heatedly.  
  
"Am I? If I were, I wouldn't be suggesting putting Janeway into a position where she can actually be of any use," Nechayev said, stung that he could actually accuse her of allowing her personal feelings to affect her judgment. "You know as well as I do that there will be plenty for her to do, a number of areas where her experiences will come in handy. We won't be wasting Janeway's 'talents' and at the same time we won't have to worry about her striking out on her own." She allowed herself a small smile. "An 'elegant solution', if you will."  
  
Hayes shook his head. "What makes you think a promotion and a desk job will be enough to keep her down?"  
  
Nechayev gave him a scornful glance. "It worked for Kirk." She didn't bother to keep the triumphant note out of her voice.  
  
"For a short period of time," Hayes corrected. "But he eventually found a way out of it."  
  
"Under extraordinary circumstances," Nechayev shot back. "A crisis of galactic proportions. Surely you don't expect something like that to occur now."  
  
"Perhaps not, but I do know Janeway found a way to outsmart every foe she encountered on her journey. Not even the Borg Queen could defeat her. She'll find a way to best you, too." Hayes picked up the PADD and affixed his signature next to the section labeled 'Recommendations.' He handed it to Nechayev and stood, indicating that the meeting was over.   
  
Nechayev was nearly out the door when she heard him say, "I'm sure it won't take Janeway very long to come up with another elegant solution."  
  
_FINIS  
_   
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